GOD DIRECTED ME TO THE PERFECT PLACE
9/5/2019 9:24:00 AM | Soccer, Champions' TriBUne
Every Success and Failure Molded Me into the Person I Am Today
Champions' TriBUne ArchiveBy: Raegan Padgett
Champions' TriBUne is a special feature through Baylor Athletics that gives you the student-athlete's perspective and the chance for them to share their own story. Raegan Padgett, a former all-region soccer player and track state champion in the 200 meters at Hardin-Jefferson (Texas) High School, has started 62 of her 73 games at Baylor and scored 13 career goals with 10 assists. Raegan is on pace to graduate with a degree in health science studies in May 2020 and will start working on a Doctorate in physical therapy.:
Growing up, my siblings and I were very competitive with each other. My older brother and sister are twins and just one year older than me, so I've been trying to keep up with them for as long as I can remember! They both played collegiate sports – Grayson played baseball at the University of Houston and Kathryne played soccer for the University of St. Thomas. I attribute the majority of my success as an athlete to my older siblings because they are what developed my competitive drive and made me work so hard growing up.
My brother was #18 in college and my sister was #15, so when I chose my number I added theirs together, and I've been #33 ever since! My parents were also extremely influential in my development as a soccer player. Once I got into middle school, they started driving a four-hour roundtrip three nights a week just so I could play with a high-level soccer team in Houston. Then would travel every weekend to Dallas, Austin, Oklahoma, etc. to take me to games. They did this for six years, even after I had committed to play in college. I am extremely blessed to have parents who would do anything to help me reach my goals, and I'm so thankful for all the sacrifices they've made for me and my siblings over the years!
I committed to play soccer at Baylor at just 15 years old. I couldn't even drive at this point in my life, and honestly didn't have a clue what it truly meant to be a college soccer player. Thankfully, God directed me to the perfect place to spend these four years of college! I'm from China, Texas, a small town two hours outside of Houston. Growing up in a small town, I lived very close to all of my family. Staying in Texas and being close enough for my parents to come watch my games and to see my baby sis (shout out, LoLo), was very important to me. I absolutely love my hometown and knew I needed to attend a college with a tight-knit family atmosphere. Baylor was my very first visit and it just felt like home. The team was so welcoming, the campus was beautiful, and I loved how open the coaches were about discussing their faith. I was excited at the thought of being a part of growing a rising soccer program, and after my visit I found myself comparing every other school to Baylor, and nothing really came close.
Freshman year was full of challenges. I was away from home for the first time, I was struggling through my classes, and I was playing the most competitive level of soccer I ever had. I was starting on and off that season, and didn't really have a lot of confidence in myself. I struggled with self-doubt and honestly did not enjoy playing soccer at this point. I put my entire identity in my success on the soccer field, so when I failed or even made a slight mistake I would doubt my abilities and never felt good enough to be in the position I was in. This time in my life really taught me how to lean on my faith and to trust that the Lord's plan is so much greater than anything we could come up with! That season was tough, and we ended up not making the NCAA tournament. This was a huge blow to our team, and I really think this gave us an edge to come back even stronger for the following season.
That year, I not only played soccer, but also ran track for Baylor in the spring of 2017. Being fast was always my thing growing up, and it's really what allowed me to get noticed from college coaches. Track was always another passion of mine, and I was blessed enough to win a few state championship titles during my high school career. The opportunity to run for an amazing program like Baylor was a huge honor, and I am so grateful to my soccer coaches and track coaches for allowing me to do both that year. Sometimes it really felt impossible, running back and forth from school to soccer to track practices. But, I had so much support from both of my teams, and that gave me the motivation to get it all done. I had more emotional breakdowns than I could count that year, but I wouldn't change it for anything! I fulfilled some lifelong dreams, like running at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., on the 4x100 relay. Never in a million years did I think I would be saying that! I made the decision to solely focus on soccer after that season, I felt I was stretching myself a little too thin and knew if I was going to be a leader on this team I had to give 100 percent of my efforts to soccer.
My sophomore soccer season started out rocky. I missed the first few games due to a hamstring injury and had to work really hard to make up ground. We tied more games than I could count that season, and played more 110-minute overtime games than regulation 90-minute games. The turning point in that season was definitely the last game of the regular season. We were away at TCU and lost in yet another overtime game. This loss cut really deep, and from them on the attitude of our team changed. We went on to win the Big 12 tournament in another overtime game versus TCU. We made it all the way to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history, knocking off some of the top teams in the nation. It was a fairytale season for our 2017 team, and one I will never forget. That year taught me how to trust wholeheartedly in my teammates, to never look too far ahead, and to never underestimate what the Lord can do!
That next semester proved to be much more challenging and life-changing than I could have ever imagined. I was driving back home for spring break to watch my brother's baseball game when I got the call saying my older cousin, Blain, had passed away. He was just 21 years old, and played football for Rice University. Blain was 6-5 and just a huge guy who seemed absolutely invincible to me. He was the star of our high school football team and everyone knew his name. To say the least, the news was devastating, and still doesn't seem real to this day. Blain's passing has been the most influential part in how I play soccer today. He was the hardest worker I knew, never made a single excuse, and above all loved the sport he played more than anything. I decided that the best way to honor his memory was to play exactly like he would have, to work as hard as I possibly could, and to strive to be my very best each time I step on the field. I think of him every time I stand on the halfway line listening to the national anthem before each game, and I pray that I can be half the player he was.
Later that year, I started my third soccer season on the Baylor soccer team. That was the most insane, history-making year. We set a record for most Baylor soccer wins, won the Big 12 Championship regular-season title and made another run to the Elite Eight. Although these moments were so incredible, what really stands out in my mind from that year was all the memories we made together as a team. From Thanksgiving dinner in a hotel in Washington D.C., (attempting) to floating a river for team bonding, and Halloween costume parties, my teammates are what made that year so incredibly special, not the trophies or the wins.
Now, I am a senior and a captain on the soccer team. As I start my final season playing for Baylor, I am feeling every emotion possible. Heading into this final stretch of my college career, I can't help but feel so much gratitude toward all that Baylor University has given me. It has given me a place to call home for the last four years, it gave me my very best friends (shout out, Kylie Ross's YouTube channel), I met the greatest guy (shout out to Shea Langeliers - go Braves!), I've gotten to experience championships, I've received an amazing education, I've been able to grow my faith more than ever, and I found a second family in my teammates and coaches that I wouldn't trade for the world! I would not change a single thing about my last four years. Every loss, failure, victory and success has molded me into the person and player I am today. I know without a doubt that Baylor has prepared me for life after soccer, and I will take all the lessons learned along the way to help me be my very best self in all I do in life.
After I graduate in May 2020, I plan to attend physical therapy school to receive my Doctorate in Physical Therapy. I've been a soccer player for nearly my entire life, and am honestly very sad at the thought of not lacing up my cleats next season. However, I am so thankful for the time God gave me to play and for the relationships he allowed me to develop through soccer! This sport has given me so many amazing opportunities and experiences that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I am so excited for all the possibilities this season holds, and can't wait to see the story that unfolds for this 2019 Baylor Soccer Team! I know that God has placed every challenge or obstacle that we will face in our paths for a reason. Something I have learned over these last four years is that you have the opportunity to grow from every single experience you go through. You can run or shy away when things are hard, or you can learn from the mistakes and failures to form you into a better version of yourself. I feel that is exactly what my team has done. Each year, we face new obstacles and challenges, but together we are always able to overcome them and grow even closer together. I thank God each day that he placed me where I am, and am so grateful to be a Baylor Bear!
Sic 'em Forever!
Previous Champions' TriBUne Features
Football - Sam Tecklenburg (Aug. 29, 2019)
Men's Golf - Cooper Dossey (July 11, 2019)
Baseball - Richard Cunningham (June 27, 2019)
Men's Tennis - Jimmy Bendeck (June 14, 2019)
Baseball - Shea Langeliers (May 30, 2019)
Track & Field - Kiana Horton (May 22, 2019)
Men's Golf - Garrett May (May 9, 2019)
Women's Golf - Maria Vesga (May 2, 2019)
Acrobatics & Tumbling - Camryn Bryant (April 25, 2019)
Equestrian - Shannon Hogue (April 16, 2019)
Women's Tennis - Angelina Shakhraichuk (April 9, 2019)
Women's Basketball - Lauren Cox (March 22, 2019)
Track & Field - Wil London (March 7, 2019)
Men's Basketball - Jake Lindsey (March 4, 2019)
Softball - Nicky Dawson (Feb. 21, 2019)
Baseball - Josh Bissonette (Feb. 14, 2019)
Men's Tennis - Will Little (Jan. 31, 2019)
Men's Basketball - King McClure (Jan. 17, 2019)
Women's Basketball - Chloe Jackson (Jan. 3, 2019)
Football - Blake Blackmar (Dec. 13, 2018)
Volleyball - Braya Hunt (Nov. 29, 2018)
Soccer - Jackie Crowther (Nov. 16, 2018)
Cross Country - Alison Andrews-Paul (Nov. 8, 2018)
Football- Ira Lewis (Nov. 6, 2018)
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